


Daddy Lessons

by steggyisimmortal



Series: Shield and Gun [23]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene, Steve's Pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-10 05:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13495928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyisimmortal/pseuds/steggyisimmortal
Summary: From her grimace I know I’m not saying any of the right words.  Sometimes I wish Bucky would follow me around and punch me before I say something stupid.“Shit, that’s not right.”  I groan and walk around in a circle, searching for the words.“You don’t apologize much, do you?”





	Daddy Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the line: _"My daddy said shoot."_

* * *

My ma never said I was the brightest kid on the block.

 

She told me I was smart, yeah, but compared to Diana Reiter down the block I was dumber than a box of rocks.  She put us all to shame.

 

Some subjects always came easy to me – history, reading, penmanship (ma never could figure out why my handwriting was so nice), math on a good day.  School was easy for me.

 

Women were not.

 

I knew how to be polite to be polite to the old ladies that lived by me growing up, the ones that would always pinch my cheeks and smile at ma but talk about her behind her back as soon as we walked away.  I would keep those same ladies company when they wanted someone to talk to and I was stuck at home because one of my various ailments was acting up again. 

 

But a girl my age?  Nope.  All of a sudden words might as well be an alien language and I’m the only one that speaks it.

 

Not that many ever gave me the time of day until Dr. Erskine came along, though.  They all looked at me like I was some kind of bug they accidentally stepped on in their brand new shoes.

 

Until Peggy Carter.

 

Somehow she didn’t apply to my foot in mouth syndrome.  I was so nervous riding in the car with her on the way to the procedure, I think I started talking about places kids used to beat me up.  Not exactly smooth talk.  Not sexy at all.  But she spoke back and it’s never been awkward since.

 

But ma never said I was the brightest kid on the block for a reason.

 

I went and said something stupid.

 

I knew I shouldn’t have said it the moment it passed my lips but I couldn’t stop it.  You can’t put the bullet back in the chamber after you’ve already fired the gun. 

 

No wonder she shot me.

 

Well, my shield but I could tell she wished I wasn’t holding it in front of me.

 

Honestly I’m surprised she didn’t shoot me in the foot or the kneecap.  I deserved it. 

 

Maybe I shoulda brought a gun so she _could_ shoot me.

 

* * *

 

This is awkward.

 

I found Peggy in the small office attached to the barracks.  It’s filled with papers and folders.  A couple of typewriters sit along the far wall.  There’s one machine that’s supposed to transmit incoming codes but I’ve never seen it actually do anything.  

 

Mercifully the room is empty save for her.  She allows me entry but the look on her face tells me she’d rather not look at my face for the foreseeable future. 

 

I start to sit but her quirky eyebrow tells me I should think twice about it.  I don’t know how she does that but it’s damn effective.  The judgement stemming from that one seemingly insignificant body part is incredible. 

 

“What can I do for you this evening, Captain?” she asks.  I can’t really decipher her tone.  “Surely you have unfinished business elsewhere.”

 

I wince but can’t deny the remark is called for. 

 

She’s rifling through a stack of files.  I know she doesn’t want to see me but I’m determined to say my piece.  Even if she doesn’t want to hear it I have to explain myself.

 

I wring my hands together, trying to find the words, when that foot in mouth syndrome starts to take over.

 

“Peggy, I’m sorry.  I wasn’t being fair when I said what I said.  But that wasn’t actually what you saw.  She kissed me.  Although I didn’t pull away.  I shoulda pulled away but I was so shocked and I didn’t want to offend her and it was nice but still it was wrong.”

 

From her grimace I know I’m not saying any of the right words.  Sometimes I wish Bucky would follow me around and punch me before I say something stupid.

 

“Shit, that’s not right.”  I groan and walk around in a circle, searching for the words. 

 

“You don’t apologize much, do you?”

 

I glance over to see her smirking at me.  It’s adorable.  I wish I saw her smile more.  Maybe now that we’re working together I will. 

 

I smile in remembrance, thankful the mood is lighter than when I walked in. 

 

“To my ma, yeah.  I always had to apologize for getting in fights.  To gi- ” I falter and struggle for the right words, “colleagues so far, no.”

 

“Then it shouldn’t surprise you to know you can do better.”

 

“I could get on my hands and knees.”

 

Palms open I lean towards the ground.  She quickly shakes her head and waves me off.

 

“No, god, please don’t.”

 

I abide and stand straight.  She gets what I can only guess – hope – is a playful look on her face.  My heart beats faster when she abandons the files and steps closer to me.

 

“Though if you do I should like to get the rest of your men in here to see Captain America grovel.”

 

I bark out a laugh.  They’d love to see that, which is precisely why I made sure all of them were busy before I sought Peggy out.  But if she wanted them to watch while I begged her forgiveness I’d gladly fetch them and tell them to take pictures so she’d have a memento. 

 

She stares at me expectantly and this time I know just what to say. 

 

“Peggy, I’m sorry.  I was an idiot and I hurt you, with my actions and my words.  It won’t happen again.”  I hesitate for half a second before taking her hand in mine.  I find her eyes again and find them peering deep into mine.  “I don’t want to be like all the rest.”

 

She’s the one.  I know she is.  I can feel it in every part of me.  She’s the one I was supposed to find.  Mrs. Grace was always going on about “the one” when I was a kid.  I thought she was just crazy.  Nice but crazy.  I didn’t think I’d find any validity to her words. 

 

Peggy doesn’t respond much to my words but a faint smile graces her lips.  I don’t know how she manages to get her red lipstick but I could kiss her supplier for providing it to her.  I have yet to come across anyone as put together as her.  Well, I have but none of them look as good as her.

 

She removes her hand from mine, pats my cheek, and I know I’ve been forgiven.

 

“Now, that’s better.”

 

She moves back toward the files but I make no move to leave.  I don’t want to.  I found her to apologize but now that I’m with her I realize I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world than right here with her.

 

“Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

 

There’s that smile again.

 

“From my father.  He believed I should learn everything my brother did.”  She smiles, probably at a memory running through her head.  “My mother didn’t like that much.”

 

“Really?” I perk up at this tidbit about her family. 

 

“Oh, yes.  My mother wanted me to be more like a lady but it wasn’t really my strong suit.  My father was taking my brother with him to the gun club one afternoon and I begged him to let me come along.  It didn’t take much cajoling before I was happily trotting along after them.”

 

“Then what happened?” 

 

I’m aware I sound eager to hear more details about her life but I can’t find it in me to tone it down.  I want to know everything about her.

 

“Well, his companions were a bit shocked to say the least but my father quickly put them in their place and told them I would be joining in their activities for the day.  He realized it was important for me to learn, even if it ended up being nothing more than a unique skill.  He never treated me like I was any different from my brother and I’ll always be grateful for that. My mother finally realized she wouldn't be able to persuade me otherwise and made her peace with it.”

 

I smile at the fond look on her face. 

 

“He sounds like a great man.”

 

She nods and returns to her work.  “He is.”

 

She doesn’t say more and I don’t prompt her.  I don’t want to push my luck.  I got her forgiveness, something I didn’t think was going to happen, and I don’t want to say much more in fear that I’ll ruin everything again.  One day I’ll get the hang of this.

 

I tap at a few of the files but don’t open them.  I’m still unsure of what’s classified and what I can look at so I just avoid everything unless someone hands me something to read. 

 

This doesn’t seem to go over well with Peggy.

 

“Make yourself useful and help.  You may as well learn something if you insist on standing there all night.”

 

“I tried to sit but your eyebrow wouldn’t let me.”

 

Her fingers pause and she turns to look at me.  The eyebrow in mention is quirked upward.  I gotta ask her how she does that sometime.

 

“My eyebrow?” she asks skeptically, glowering at me with a frown.

 

I nod.  “It’s very persuasive.”

 

I go to bed that night with the sound of her boisterous laughter ringing in my ears. 

 

I made Peggy Carter laugh. 

* * *


End file.
